Gloomy day in Halloweentown
by A.R.Dawkins
Summary: could Skullboy be the heir of Halloween?
1. Chapter 1

One dark Halloween night in the small dark town of Gloomsville the king and queen of Halloween made their routinely rounds making Halloween more and more scary than before with their band of mischievous children. Their family was in charge of Gloomsville and the other neighboring towns around it while the others in their run of Halloween tricks and treats an scares and pranks covered all other towns and cities and villages all around the world. The king and his queen were a happy and fruitful couple with 5 children causing mayhem and a set of twins on the way. All was well in their eyes and naturally they needed extra help caring for all these children especially after….that night! So they kept a caretaker around the house and the kids to make sure everything was good.

Once the king and queen made sure every person who casually passed by them and their hiding spots got a good fun scare out of it they had the children trick-or-treat and the caretaker escort them from house to house while they checked on the others progress. The king was a very tall and thin. Nothing but bones and a pinstriped suit! He adjusted his bat-bowtie and looked to his wife. "Sally? Are you alright?" he asked concernedly. Sally didn't look at him but nodded slowly and sighed "I will be" her long red hair hiding her face from the view of her worried husband and she pretended to be interested in the stitches of her forearm that held her arm together and in normal place. The skeleton knew better and he smiled warmly and stroked Sally's hair comfortingly "The kids'll be fine" he assured her. She turned her head to where she met the eye sockets of her husband and smiled "I know Jack." she said quietly. Her big eyes glistened softly in the light of the full moon and she put on a brave face for her children herself and Jack.

After reminding the children of the rules for trick-or-treating, Jack and Sally Skellington walked down the dark street hand in hand and out of sight. The children all tried to go their separate ways but the caretaker caught them all in one swoop before even the fastest and smallest of the children could make it a block. The caretaker scolded the children who groaned and griped about not getting to do what they wanted to do so the caretaker had an idea that will make everyone happy. "Okay what we're going to do is we're going to split up into teams! Joseph, Annabelle? You two are the eldest so Annabelle? I want you to take little Cassandra and be sure to keep an eye on her okay?" the caretaker said while ushering a small girl to her older sister. Annabelle nodded and said cheerfully "yes ma'am!" and she took her sister's hand and ran off. "Joseph? I want you to take Timothy and keep an eye on him!" the caretaker said Joseph rolled his eye in response but took the little one by the hand and began to run off when suddenly the caretaker had a thought and she moved to stop Joseph and Annabelle she caught them swiftly and said "When you are done with your trick-or-treating you must be back here to report to me and your parents! Got it?'' "yes ma'am!" they responded and she let them run off. "Looks like its just you and me William" the caretaker sighed. William cooed and tried to fit his tiny foot into his mouth. He succeeded in breaking the foot off his ankle and proceeded to teethe on the heel.

Joseph and Timothy were spitting images of their father except Joseph had his mother's right eye. Annabelle had no eyes but other than that was a younger image of her mother. Cassandra and William were half and half. The caretaker adored each child for their differences and thought they were all beautiful the way they were made! She remembered being the assistant to building their first child from Sally's fathers laboratory. Little Jack Skellington the second! She could never forget the look on Sally's face when the procedure finished and she held her very own bouncing baby boy. Brains from his mother and a rib from his father and those big round green eyes! Such a lovely innocent creature! Fortunately they only had to build a baby once before the two were gifted with the ability to create life naturally. That was a joyous day for them!

The caretaker looked like a normal human being but like all other residents of Halloweentown she wasn't normal! She had the ability to change her appearance to anything she wanted to look like with the mere thought of it and she could stretch at incredible lengths which made it easy to catch the children who were fast enough to get into things they weren't supposed to and not get caught at all normally.

She held little William close to her and he yawned and continued to teethe on his heel. William cooed and babbled as the caretaker headed towards the first active house she saw. A large mansion that was lit up and covered with Halloween decorations and streamers. She opened the gate that creaked and walked up to the front door William yawned and sighed. "Oh come now William stay up for the nice people with candy huh?" the caretaker urged and little William grabbed at her nose playfully "there ya go!" she smiled and she walked up to the huge heavy double doors and pulled the rope to ring the doorbell. The chatter of people could be heard on the other side of the front doors and the door creaked open. At first the caretaker didn't think anyone was there but then she looked down and saw a small Indian flying fox bat fiddling with the purple scarf around his neck timidly as he looked at the caretaker and William timidly but he cleared his throat and spoke in a thick Indian accent when he said "oh h-hello there….um…we don't have any candy to pass out but….um…you are welcome to win some I-if you'd like" "huh?" the caretaker asked confusedly.

"Oh…um….RUBY!" the little bat trembled. "What is it Scaredy?" asked a girl with pale skin and freckles her eyes were big and bright and her hair was a bright red. She looked at the bat then to the caretaker and baby "hello! What's your name?" she asked nicely "uh…my name is Heather and…this is William. I think I accidentally scared your friend….um…I was just taking William trick-or-treating but your friend said that you don't have any to hand out." the caretaker said slowly she was still very confused and didn't exactly know what to do about that particular house. "Well I figured it would be more fun for all the trick-or-treaters to get their candy and have a party at the same time! So by all means please come in! The more the merrier!" the red headed girl said happily.

"Um…okay sure! Why not?" Heather shrugged it was extremely odd to find someone with such open hospitality towards strangers but who was she to turn down such an offer? "Great! We were just about to start! My name's Ruby Gloom, that bat over there is named Scaredy Bat, don't worry about him he's extremely shy. Follow me and I'll introduce you to the rest of my friends!" Ruby smiled.

Heather smiled and followed Ruby inside the parlor room where there was more streamers and a stage where Siamese twins were setting up instruments and amps. "Hey guys! There's more party guests!" Ruby called over to them. "Awesome!" they said in unison as they headed toward Ruby and Heather.

"Heather I'd like you to meet Frank and Len! They're going to play the party music" Ruby said. The twins shared a body but were colored different the head on the left was blue and it seemed his look was somewhat inspired by 50's rock 'n' roll with his sideburns and hair swoop. He had a very thin black wristband on his wrist and the shoe on his foot was a black and white checkered converse. The head on the right was olive green and his look seemed to be inspired by 80's punk rock with his messy wild short hair eyebrow ring and thick wristband with spikes. He had a tattoo on his arm just below the T-shirt sleeve. The shoe on his foot was black with red flames.

Both the brothers offered a hand to shake while introducing themselves Heather took their hands and shook "Hey my names Frank!" the blue one said "yeah and I'm Len!" said the green. "Hello my name is Heather and this is William" Heather said nicely. "Nice to meet ya!" they said in unison and Len took Williams hand and shook it "nice to meet you too little dude" he laughed. Heather smiled and William gripped onto Lens hand and when Len pulled his hand away he pulled the baby's arm off with it "WHOA!" Len said in surprise as William began to tear up and cry loudly "Nice goin' Len! You broke him!" Frank said over the cries "I-I-I didn't mean to! I-it just popped off!" Len stammered.

Heather rocked William back and forth and hummed a soft lullaby while she dug in the diaper bag she kept over her shoulder. Soon she pulled out a blue and green pacifier and put it in William's mouth which settled him down quickly and he was soon asleep. "Whu-wait-WHAT?" Len stammered "that's it?" Frank asked in astonishment.

"Yeah that's it. What do you-OH I get it you thought his arm falling off would hurt! Oh no its actually tiresome trying to keep him together" Heather laughed then held out her hand "may I have his arm back please?" she asked Len who almost tossed it at her immediately and watched as she just popped it back in. "Whoa! Freaky stuff man!" Len commented "Oh come ON you guys! You act like it was the first time you saw an arm get popped back into place! Skullboy loses his parts all the time and you've got no problem helping him get put back together" Ruby laughed. "Yeah but this was a little dude's arm! Skullboy's not such a little dude!" Frank replied. Heather giggled at the two "happy Halloween guys!" she said with a smile. Frank and Len shared a slightly faked laugh and went back to the stage to finish setting up.

"Ruby?" "yeah?" "who's this Skullboy guy?" Heather asked while rocking little William. "Oh he's-" Ruby began but was interrupted by a very loud crash then a very feeble "I'm okay" Ruby and Heather ran to where the crash came from and it came from the great hall. There sitting on the floor was a girl with long black hair and a blindfold over her eyes. She laughed and removed the blindfold which revealed that she didn't have two normal eyes but one very large one. "What happened Iris?" Ruby gasped. "A totally awesome trust exercise! I was helping Skullboy test the psychology between friends and he blindfolded me and said that he was going to be my eyes-er-eye" laughed the Cyclops excitedly.

"Was he really that bad at giving directions?" Heather asked "no it was a success! The goal was to get to the great hall from my room" Iris explained happily then she asked "what's your name?" "oh…uh…my name is Heather and this little tyke is William" Heather smiled and helped Iris to her feet. "Cool I'm Iris! Are you here for the party? Has it started yet? Ooh Do you wanna play a game?" Iris asked quickly "Yes I don't know and maybe later" Heather replied happily. These people were very nice! Jack and Sally would be pleased to meet these people!… "Oh! Cripes!" shouted Heather suddenly and she bolted out of the room and towards the window facing the street where the kids had to meet up at. "Please don't be there Please don't be there PLEASE PLEASE PLEEEAAAASSSEEE DON'T BE THERE!" she repeated to herself over and over again as she looked out the window.

The street was dark and deserted Heather sighed out of relief and then heard someone right behind her ask "you looking for something?" it was a boy's voice and the closeness startled Heather so bad she nearly jumped a mile high. She turned to see who was talking to her and what she saw was surely a trick of the light! It was a walking talking skeleton with big round green eyes and a kind smile.

"Sorry I didn't mean to startle you! Ruby told me you're here for the party? My name's Skullboy! What's yours?" he introduced and offered a friendly handshake. Heather took it and said slowly "my name's Heather and this is William" Skullboy laughed and looked at the still sleeping baby "aw cute kid! Is he yours?" he asked "who him? Oh heavens no! I-I don't have a family I'm just the caretaker" Heather laughed nervously "no family huh? I know how THAT feels!" Skullboy said "wait…you do? You can't be more than 15 years old! Surely you MUST have parents somewhere! A guardian at least!" Heather asked in surprise. Skullboy shrugged in reply "I did think one of my ancestors was a psychologist maybe even the great Sigmund Freud! But you heard how great the trust exercise with Iris went I assume" he added sarcastically.

"Is Skullboy really your name? I mean forgive me for saying but that sounds more like a nickname more than a birth name." Heather asked. "Well yeah I suppose so but if I knew my birth name then I would know my birth parents and therefore have a family…or at least have knowledge of a family I was apart of at one time" Skullboy laughed then asked "why are you staring at me like that?" "oh was I staring? Staring like what?" Heather asked in reply "like you've seen a ghost or something!" smiled Skullboy "oh well that's because….I think I've seen you before? But I couldn't have" Heather explained.

"Really? Well I thought I was the only one who truly looked like me! Why couldn't it be me? I mean I've never seen you before but still….I'm curious" Skullboy said happily "really?" Heather asked "yeah!" Skullboy nodded "I've been itching for a good story!" he added laughing. Heather shrugged at this and said "about 15 years ago I worked at this laboratory creating very strange things and one day the scientist's daughter and her husband came in and said they needed…help. Said they couldn't….um….procreate naturally…er…that is to say-" "no I got it" Skullboy interrupted "uh…okay so they decided to come to the laboratory to see if science would help and it did but…well to create a…life you need body parts but thankfully the lab came prepared for such occasions but we were missing a part of the body…well actually two parts but technically only one of the two was needed. Anyway what we needed was-" but the rest of what Heather was trying to say got drowned out by the music.

"Alright! The party's started I hope they didn't start the games without me!" Skullboy said loudly over the music and he started to run toward the parlor room but he turned and looked at Heather. "Come on! You can continue telling me your story when Frank and Len take a break!" he called over to her "I'll catch up don't worry" Heather smiled and gave him the sign to go on without her until he was out of sight.

Once he was gone Heather started hyperventilating and she checked back out the window. There in the street light stood Annabelle, Cassandra, Joseph, and Timothy. It appeared to just be the children alone there but Heather couldn't possibly risk just strutting out the front door to the children Jack and Sally were experts in stealth and Heather was extremely terrified of them both particularly Jack but perhaps they would pardon her for her findings. Yeah! But she had to be careful getting out there….hmm….There must've been a back door to the place! Yeah! She'll go out the back unseen by public eyes and tell them what she found! She went to the parlor room in search of Ruby.

The parlor room was nearly shaking from the music and everyone was dancing. Heather found Ruby dancing near the middle of the crowd with Skullboy. Heather tried to get to her but accidentally ran into another girl in a flowing blue dress that touched the floor and dragged when she danced and she wore a blue veil over her waist length black hair. Her skin was blue and she had big sad looking eyes and tear stained cheeks but she was smiling and dancing happily. Heather apologized as soon as she bumped into her and she looked at Heather and said "Hey Ruby I didn't know you had a child" Heather looked at her strangely 'Ruby?' then she looked at her arms and hair. Her arms were pale and her hair was bright red. "Oh! Oops…I'm not Ruby! Ruby's over there dancing with Skullboy. I'm Heather." she said laughing

"Oh…so why do you look like Ruby?" the blue girl asked "it's-uh …sorta my gift" replied Heather as she transformed back to her normal self. "Oh well…what are you doing here?" the girl asked. "Um…I was sorta invited at the last minute" Heather shrugged then she asked "what's your name?" "It's Misery" "Misery? That's an interesting name!" Heather replied "Thanks" said Misery. "Can you help me out Misery?" Heather asked "with what?" Misery asked in reply "I need to get out of here without being seen" Heather explained "Oh….why?" Misery asked "well….I'm not exactly supposed to be here…and I really need to get out of here and not get caught" replied Heather nervously.

Misery just looked at Heather for then shrugged and said "okay. Follow me" and she walked out of the room with Heather close behind. Misery walked into the kitchen and showed Heather to the back door. "There you go." she said and began to walk away but Heather caught her "wait! Can I ask you something?" "sure" Misery shrugged. "Can I borrow your look?" heather asked "what?….um….I don't know" Misery said worriedly "it won't hurt I just need to think of your look and bam! I look like a Misery clone" Heather explained with a smile.

"Um…sure okay" Misery agreed and Heather shook her hand vigorously "thank you SO much!" she said gratefully. Heather looked at Misery for a bit then closed her eyes and counted to three then opened them and looked at an astonished Misery. "What do ya think?" smiled Heather "do I really look that sad!" Misery asked in reply and Heather looked at her arms and dress and hair. "It worked perfectly!" Heather said happily.

Misery waved goodbye as Heather walked out the back. The street was dark and empty as Heather walked back to the children who saw her as Misery and looked a little confused. Heather made sure William was still okay and she found some more dark shadow a few yards away from the kids and decided to change back since there was no sign of Jack or Sally. She was walking away from the shadows when from the very shadows emerged a very angry Sally. Sally said nothing but took William from Heather and stormed off towards her other children.


	2. Chapter 2

"Wait! Sally! I-" Heather began but stopped when she felt a presence behind her. Heather slowly turned toward the shadows and at first she couldn't see anything but then apparently out of nowhere emerged Jack. Heather let out a small whimper of fear and tried to run but Jack caught her arm and kept her from even turning. He was silent and very angry, he had a reason to also and Heather didn't blame him or Sally. Jack stared hard at Heather and began to contort his face into something horribly terrifying! "Oh my goodness! Jack you look positively terrifying!" Heather said with a nervous smile. "Start explaining why you decided to abandon your job tonight! Or I'll make you wish you never met me and my family!" Jack threatened.

Heather opened and closed her mouth hoping for words to form but she was too scared to say anything or even make a noise! Jack slowly raised his other hand and Heather covered her face in defense and as she did her voice came back and she screamed the first thing that she thought of. "I FOUND JACK!" Jack's grip on her arm loosened a bit and Heather looked at Jack's face but still had her arm up in defense. His facial expression was a mix of unbelievable fury and rage and hurtful confusion.

"What?" he asked quietly "what I mean to say sir, is that I met a boy that looks like your eldest son would look after all these years!" Heather explained very very quickly. "That's impossible! Jack is dead!" Jack said angrily "there was no body!" Heather defended quickly. Jack opened his mouth to contradict her defense but closed it and thought. After a bit of thinking Jack gripped harder than before on Heather's arm, Heather winced from the pain of his strength, he may not have had muscle but he was strong! "Are you prepared to prove this?" he asked "yeah" Heather managed to say. If this is true then I'll forgive you of your irresponsible actions tonight! But if this is a lie-" jack began but Heather cut him off "say no more sir! I got it!" Heather replied more calmly.

"Now go fetch this child and prove to me that he's Jack! Got it?" Jack demanded "clear as crystal!" Heather replied but didn't move yet "well? What are you waiting for? GO!" Jack urged. "Yes of course sir but first! I think I need to tell you about this boy….He has no memory of his childhood at all no memory of parents guardians or any such kind….Sir! The boy doesn't even know if he has a last name! What I'm trying to say sir is that if he is your son he wouldn't have a single clue who you are or what he's destined to be so don't be discouraged if he doesn't know who he is or supposed to be okay?" Heather reasoned.

Jack frowned and sighed "I promise!" he said and Heather turned and started to walk toward the mansion then felt the eerie feeling of being followed and turned to see that Jack was following her to the house. "Oh no sir! Nononononono you can't follow me! Like I said he won't have any idea who you are! And when you see him you won't be able to contain yourself! I could barely contain myself! So there's no way you could! Stay with Sally and your other children and I'll bring him too you. I promise!" Heather explained and continued to walk to the mansion and rang the bell.

She heard a little bit of chatter from inside and turned toward the street and saw Jack talking with Sally both of them very anxious looking. Just as Heather turned back to the door, it opened, and there stood Frank and Len who looked positively exhausted but happy. "Oh hey Heather! Misery said you had to go. Forget something?" asked Frank as Len fiddled with a guitar pick "Um…no actually I just need to speak with Skullboy…can I come in?" Heather asked "sure" Frank replied, frowning slightly. "Thank you!" Heather said gratefully as she walked in and the door closed behind her.

"Skullboy's in the parlor playing a game with Iris and Misery. Me and Len need to get Scaredy ready for another song see ya!" Frank said and they walked off. Heather ran into the parlor room and spotted Skullboy getting ready to play pin-the-tail on the ghost. She ran to the group as Iris was helping Skullboy tie the blindfold. "Hey Heather! Forget something?" Iris asked with a smile. "Yes! Well…no. Actually I need to talk to Skullboy! Now preferably" Heather answered with a shrug. "Okay. What's up?" Skullboy asked as he stumbled around for the tail. "Skullboy, remember that story I tried to tell you before the party started?" Heather asked "yeah what about it?" Skullboy asked in reply "Well….um….ca-can I see your rib cage for a sec?" Heather asked "my what?" "your rib cage. I'll also need a magnifying glass if you have one" Heather said.

"Um…Will I get my ribs back?" Skullboy asked, unsure of what to make of the situation. "Yes of course….actually I don't need the whole cage…just the last rib on the left" Heather explained. "Um…okay" Skullboy agreed as he lifted his shirt and removed the last left rib and handed it to Heather. Heather examined every inch of the rib and gave a frustrated grunt "I can see….something but I need a magnifying glass definitely to confirm what it is!" she said "well….I got a magnifying glass when I thought I was related to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle…Last I was using it I was helping Ruby find her thimble so she could fix another one of Misery's dresses….in the kitchen" Skullboy explained and so they all went to the kitchen to get the magnifying glass. They ran into Ruby who was making fresh snacks.

"Hey guys! What's up?" Ruby asked with a smile then she saw Heather with Skullboy's rib and got a little confused "uh…" she said and Iris replied "Heather's looking for Skullboy's magnifying glass so she can study Skullboy's rib" "why?" Ruby asked "something about a story Heather was telling Skullboy before the party started" Iris replied.

"I'll explain later. Right now I need to focus!" Heather said as she looked under the table. "His magnifying glass is on the counter next to the toaster" Ruby replied and Skullboy went over and retrieved it "aha!" he exclaimed and Heather took it from his hand and got directly under a light at the table.

She sat down and studied the rib quietly and everyone watched her in excitement "there seems to be…trace amounts of…" Heather cut off and gasped. Her eyes began to well up and she could feel tears fall down her cheeks "what's the matter? What did you find!" Iris and Skullboy asked in unison. Iris had an excited smile on her face but Skullboy looked worried. Heather lost her strength and the rib and magnifying glass onto the floor "WHAT?" Skullboy asked worriedly. "…ectoplasm" Heather whispered and she looked at Skullboy and began to weep. "Huh?" Skullboy asked as Heather handed his rib back to him d smiled widely. "Ectoplasm!" she said loudly Skullboy frowned and looked positively clueless. "You don't know what that means do you?" Heather asked "not exactly no" Skullboy shrugged. "You don't need to cry though…it's going to be okay" he added nervously "I'm crying BECAUSE things are better than okay! They are terrific! Skullboy! Oh my god! You are the prince of Halloween!" Heather explained happily as she continued to cry.


	3. Chapter 3

"Whoa! Wait! WHAT?" Skullboy asked quickly and he collapsed in the seat next to Heather "a prince? Like with a king and queen and castle and stuff?" Iris asked excitedly. "Yes!" Heather exclaimed, Skullboy was quiet and still looked confused. "Skullboy. Are you okay?" Ruby asked "Yeah I'm-I'm fine. I'm just…wow! I mean really of all the things to be in my genes I didn't think royalty would be one of them and-wait! Did you say prince of Halloween?" Skullboy asked.

"Yeah but I don't really know how to explain it so I'll leave that to your parents" Heather replied "My WHAT?" Skullboy asked excitedly and he jumped out of his chair "his parents! Oh wow Skullboy! Is that awesome or what!" Ruby exclaimed with a smile "yeah! That's way cool!" Iris added "what about you Misery don't you think its awesome?" Iris asked the quiet Misery. "I sense danger guys! I don't think this is okay! " Misery answered "danger? What could be dangerous about finding family?" Heather asked. "well last time I got this feeling Skullboy nearly got scammed by his so-called aunt! But this is a different sense of danger….I don't know what though" Misery explained. "Well I'm not looking to scam anybody. I'm as honest as they come!" Heather exclaimed with a smile and she rolled up her sleeve and revealed the fresh bruise where Jack gripped her arm so tight.

"Oh my! What happened?" Ruby asked as they all stared at it with some concern and looks of pain. "I got this just a couple of minutes ago because I angered and hurt the king when I told him about you Skullboy. He thought you were dead because your uncle said you were dead and yet there was no body! So if there's any danger at all to be foreseen its for me" Heather explained. "Who's my uncle?" Skullboy asked. "Death" Heather replied "you mean-" "black cloak, sands of time, giant sythe the whole shebang!" Heather explained "whoa!" Skullboy replied. "Yeah and if he weren't the literary personification of death I'd kill him!" Heather added with sudden anger.

All was still and silent as Skullboy let the monumental news sink in, after about ten minutes Heather got up and turned to Skullboy and asked "Well sire, would you like to meet the king and queen of Halloween? A.K.A your mom and dad?" Skullboy looked up at Heather who offered a hand to help him get to his feet. Skullboy didn't say anything for a bit then he took a deep breath and nodded he took her hand and got to his feet but as soon as she let go he fell apart! "Oh my gosh!" Heather gasped then she smiled "just like his father!" she added as Ruby and Misery helped build Skullboy back together.

"Yeah…about my dad…is he mean or scary? I feel like a child asking these questions but now that I get to meet him and mom….I'm kinda nervous" Skullboy said shyly as his head got put back on his neck. "Well I don't know how to explain your parents…Your mother's kind and gentle the way a mother should be but she…well she knows how to get things done! And your father….he's terrifying but that's because its his job to be! I can show you how they look before you meet them if you'd like" Heather offered with a quick glance to Misery who smiled.

"Do you have a picture or something?" Skullboy asked "well…it's something" Heather replied. "well…what is it?" Skullboy asked "Oh nothing really just a little gi-HOLY MOTHER OF MERCY WHAT IS THAT!" heather shrieked looking terrified at the wall behind Skullboy. "What? What is it!" Skullboy asked as he turned around behind him. While he had his back turned on Heather, she transformed into a Skullboy duplicate.

Skullboy turned back and said "I don't see anything strange" he gasped at the sight of Heather and did a double take. Heather did her best to mirror Skullboy's reactions but couldn't help smiling and when she stole a glance to the girls, who did their best trying not to laugh, she lost it and started laughing as did the other girls. "That was fun" Heather sighed then added "I'm just messin with ya!" "so you can change your appearance? Cool!" Skullboy replied with an interested smile.

"Okay so you want me to show you how your parents look?" Heather asked "yeah!" they all said in unison. Heather giggled "Okay" she said then she transformed into Jack first. "Wow! That's my dad?" Skullboy asked "yeah…well this is how he looks unfortunately I can't change my voice" Heather replied then she transformed into Sally. "That's your mom?" Ruby asked "I suppose so" Skullboy replied "isn't she pretty?" Heather giggled. "Yeah!" Ruby replied with a smile and Heather transformed back into herself and said "I've spent too much time in here and your parents are waiting for you" Heather said to Skullboy who gulped a breath of air and said "they are?" "yes so lets go!" Heather answered.


	4. Chapter 4

They started to walk out the kitchen door and into the great hall but Skullboy stopped "wait!" he exclaimed and he turned to Ruby and Misery and Iris "will you guys come with me? I'm still sorta…nervous" he requested with a shy shrug. "Sure!" Ruby replied with a reassuring smile and she, Misery, and Iris walked out with Skullboy and Heather. They walked to the front doors and opened them to find Frank and Len about to come in. "What's up guys? Whatch'a doin'?" Len asked "we're gonna meet Skullboy's parents!" Iris said excitedly "awesome!" Frank exclaimed happily "can we meet them too?" Len asked Skullboy who nodded and said "sure!" and so they all went outside and walked to where Jack and Sally stood waiting.

With each step Skullboy took he grew more and more nervous and was shaking! His mind was racing! He was about to meet his parents! He dreamed of this day but he never realized how scared he would be or that he'd be royalty of any kind! It was all very nerve-wracking! Now that the day he's wished for had come, he wasn't exactly sure if he wanted to meet his parents after all! Then Ruby saw how nervous he was and gripped his hand. Skullboy looked down at her hand in his then looked at Ruby who was a bit pink in the face but she smiled at Skullboy and said "everything's going to be okay! And even if things don't happen the way you planned you still got us!" in a calm whisper "thanks Ruby" he whispered back and gripped her hand.

The others saw Skullboy and Ruby holding hands and silently cheered. Heather giggled at their reaction silently and then saw Skullboy and Ruby and sighed. When they were near the light Jack and Sally stood, Heather stepped into sight and pretended to be a messenger with a trumpet "Presenting Jack Skellington the 2nd!" she announced and Jack and Sally looked hopeful but Skullboy didn't step up. Jack began to grow suspicious but Heather went back to the shadows where everyone stood and grabbed Skullboy's empty hand and took him into the light.

Jack and Sally looked at Skullboy, who stared right back, with a mix of hurt, happiness, wonder, and love. Everyone was silent for a long while until Heather decided to break the silence "Jack, Sally, this is Ruby" she introduced as she pointed to Ruby who waved in greeting shyly. Skullboy found his voice and continued introductions "here's Frank and Len" and the twins emerged from the shadows with a smile "Iris" and Iris appeared "and Misery" Misery slowly came into the light.

Jack pulled his eyes off of Skullboy and looked to the kids that were there. He decided to be polite and shake hands with Skullboy's friends but Sally knelt down in front of Skullboy so they were within eye contact of each other and she hesitated but then hugged him tightly. Skullboy was so overwhelmed by this he let go of Ruby's hand and hugged Sally back. Jack looked over to Heather and asked quietly so the others couldn't hear "where's the proof?" "his last rib on the left has ectoplasm on it!" Heather answered proudly. Jack frowned slightly out of disbelief "really?" he asked "yes really" Ruby answered and Heather nodded. Jack frowned some more but shrugged and looked at Sally who still clutched Skullboy and was smiling and crying. "I can't possibly separate them to just prove that he's my eldest son…at least not now" Jack said then he turned to Ruby and asked "when did you meet him?" there was a pause as Ruby thought about the answer then she frowned "I don't remember! I remember moving to the mansion by myself and I met Misery and Iris later on and then Frank and Len and then I just can't remember when Skullboy came" Ruby answered "Skullboy?" Jack repeated "that's what they call Jack, sir" Heather replied. Jack laughed and said "that's a better nickname than what mine was when I was his age". Ruby smiled and then said "so does this mean you're going to take Skull-er-Jack with you now?" Jack knelt to Ruby's eye and sighed "to be honest it's up to him…but being his father I'd like to very much yes" he explained. "Well…can we at least say goodbye to him before you leave?" Ruby asked "of course!" Jack replied with a smile and he went over to Sally who finally let go of Skullboy.

Jack looked Skullboy in the eyes and asked "do you want to come home with us, son?" Skullboy frowned and thought about it then smiled and slowly nodded. Jack then looked to Sally and sighed "Sally, lets leave Jack junior to his friends so they can say goodbye" Sally nodded and they stood up and let Skullboy say goodbye.

All of his friends gathered around him and looked sad Len was first to speak "I'm gonna miss you man!" then Iris added "we all will!" "wait guys! I can still come visit! It's not like I'm leaving forever!" Skullboy assured them but then turned to his parents "am I?" and they shook their heads. "Wow! I can't believe you've finally found your family! It's what you've always dreamed of! I'm really happy for you!" Ruby said, trying to smile like normal, but she looked as though she was going to cry a river. "Thanks Ruby I-that means a lot…to me" Skullboy replied and both avoided each others looks "this sorta moment seems familiar" Heather whispered to Sally who chuckled. Meanwhile Len and Frank did a simultaneous slap to the forehead as they watched their friends say their awkward goodbyes.

"Wait! What about your stuff Skullboy? Don't you wanna take that with you?" asked Misery in a worried tone. "Oh yeah! My head has been spinning with so many thoughts and emotions all at once I can't seem to think straight! Everything's happening so fast I would've been swept up in the whirlwind with nothing I've built up" Skullboy said and he turned to his parents and asked "can I stay here for just one more night? It's going to take a long time to pack up my things anyway and I need some time to think about what just happened tonight and get my head straight" said Skullboy with a hopeful smile.

Jack looked to Sally and sighed, Sally smiled gently and said "your father and I need to go back home to help prepare for next year and clean up this one. But, if you really want to, I suppose we can wait for you one more night we've waited 15 years to see you again one more night won't hurt. Heather will stay with you to ensure your safe return home tomorrow morning. Won't you Heather?" Heather perked up at the mention of her name and said "Oh yes ma'am! I'd be delighted!" "good" replied Sally with a smile. Jack shook Skullboy's hand and Sally hugged him tightly for a second time and they walked off into the shadows, not saying a word, not looking back.

Once they disappeared into the darkness, Heather smiled and looked at the kids' sad faces and sighed. "Well! We better get started packing! We don't want to be late for tomorrow!" she said a little loudly. The kids slowly nodded and mumbled in agreement and Heather smiled and lead them back to the mansion. Everyone moved slowly and sadly, hoping that by any small chance they would waste so much time by getting to the house it would somehow make their time together longer.

Heather ignored their moodiness but understood it, these kids have stuck together for years possibly they all seemed very close to Skullboy-especially Ruby! But Heather had a plan to fix everything! Once they dragged themselves inside and Heather shut the door tight, she looked at "Is there anyone at the windows?" Heather asked openly as she checked the ones near her "no" sighed Iris. "Doors shut good and tight?" Heather asked "yes" mumbled Misery. "Good!" beamed Heather then she looked over her shoulder twice and motioned for the others to gather around her. At first they didn't know what was going on but at last they simply shrugged and went along. "Everyone here?" Heather asked "yeah" they all mumbled. "Okay" Heather whispered with a smile then coughed and continued "how would you guys like to go with me and Skullboy to Halloweentown?" she asked quietly. "Like, to help him get settled in?" Ruby asked just as quietly "…yeah and be there for him as long as you want!" Heather replied. "You mean leave Gloomsville?" they all gasped "I could never ask you guys to do that! Please don't do this just because I'm leaving!" Skullboy insisted quietly.

"Now wait a second! Before you guys go off the deep end, let me explain some things!" Heather whispered quickly. Everyone was still and silent as they waited for Heather's explanation. "Okay. Halloweentown isn't hard or far to get to but it can be pretty tricky getting back here on a normal day." "what do you mean?" Len asked curiously "well…Halloweentown isn't on earth…exactly" Heather replied "well then where is it? The moon?" laughed Iris "no! it's um…through a door in a tree in the middle of a forest." Heather explained. "Huh?" they all replied in unison "it's through a door in the middle of the forest! The tree is the portal connecting Halloweentown and earth. Halloweentown isn't a normal town like Gloomsville! it's a town specifically for the creation of Halloween! No one is normal there and everyone has a specific trait for scaring people on this day! The portal is easiest to get through on Halloween night but that doesn't mean its impossible to get through on any other average day. You just can't get through the tree portal on other holidays like Christmas or Valentines day." Heather explained shyly.


	5. Chapter 5

"Why? What law of physics does this portal system follow anyway?" Skullboy asked. "It doesn't follow physics! We're rebels!" Heather laughed but no one joined in so she coughed and continued flatly "being apart of a different dimension gives you the freedom to make your own laws of physics and stuff like this. But once those laws are made and practiced three times you can't change the law that's been practiced. The title officials used to have meetings to set the rules of which portal gets used and when. But after the Christmas catastrophe Santa Clause got a restraining order against Halloweentown, especially Jack!" "what catastrophe?" Ruby asked curiously. Heather laughed and said "I'd rather you not ask me about that! You should probably ask Jack."

"Tell us more about the portals!" Iris said excitedly. "What kind of creatures live in Halloweentown?" Misery asked. "Are there any rockin' musicians?" asked Frank. "Whoa! Whoa! Hold it! Lets handle one thing at a time okay? I think we should help Skullboy pack then figure out things from there okay guys?" Heather suggested. "Yeah!" they all agreed and they all started to go up the main stairs, Skullboy and Heather lagging behind. Skullboy was suddenly extremely interested with his feet as he stared down at them intently, ignoring Heather. "Skullboy, I'm sorry for dumping all of this mess on you tonight! We barely know each other! I mean, heck! Last time I saw you, you were just barely getting the hang of crawling!" Heather apologized.

"What are you talking about! I've always wondered who I am and where I'm from! Who my parents are and what they're like! Every birthday for as long as I could remember, my wish on the cake has always been the same! I wished that someday before I died I could finally meet my parents and ask them all about my past and why I wasn't growing up with them watching over me! Sometimes I wonder why I had to raise myself but wow! I was starting to think my parents didn't want me but after finally getting to see them and getting the hug from my mom! Wow! And if it weren't for you I would've never felt that amount of love from my parents! I would've never even known who they were or what they did! I should be thanking you! Not you apologizing to me!" Skullboy said with a wide smile.

Heather's eyes began to burn with tears but she blinked them away and took a couple of deep breaths and replied "your welcome!". "But there's still one thing that I'm really confused about" Skullboy said "yeah? What's that?" Heather asked. "Don't think rude of me when I ask, but how old are you? You said that you helped invent me 15 years ago but you look no older than 18. I'm going to have a hard time believing that you were 3 years old working in a laboratory! So how old are you really? Is that what you really look like?" Skullboy asked. Heather got shifty but tried to remain calm "um…you know when I said no one is normal in Halloweentown?" "yeah?" "well…I'm not normal either, and you wouldn't believe me if I tell you my age" she laughed nervously.

"Try me" Skullboy challenged with a smirk, heather shrugged and said "I'm…uh…450 years old" "what?" Skullboy asked in disbelief "see! You don't believe me!" Heather said "well you don't look old at all! You don't ACT old either!" Skullboy replied. "Thank you very much!" Heather said then quickly decided to change the topic "so…where's your room?" "the stairs to my room are down the hall from Scaredy's room" Skullboy explained as they walked up the last few main stairs. They were only a few steps behind the others now. The kids let Skullboy get to the front of the crowd and they continued to walk to Skullboy's room. They all seemed to ask Skullboy questions and Skullboy answered them as casually as he could and none of them noticed that Ruby lagged back until she and Heather were walking side by side.

Heather looked at Ruby who looked like her cheeks were on fire they were so red and her eyes were glistening with tears that hadn't escaped yet. Every few minutes or so, she caught Ruby trying to steal glances at Skullboy without getting noticed, Heather finally sighed and asked Ruby flatly "Ruby? Do you like Skullboy?" "what? Well he's a really cool friend so yes of course I like him" Ruby replied with a fake smile. Heather shook her head and explained "No I mean do you REALLY like him?….Like really really?" "well….doesn't all of his friends? We all know that life here won't be the same without him so yeah we all really like him" Ruby answered as if she was dodging the true meaning of the question. Heather looked at her with a flat no-nonsense look then tried again "Do you want to go out with him? On a date? One where you two are alone and you hold hands and hug and kiss and stuff?" "Oh! That's what you mean!" Ruby replied as if she were truly clueless about what Heather was talking about before. Heather laughed wryly "I don't think I could've spelt it out any more obvious than that!" she said.

"No I don't like him that way! What would ever give you that idea? We're just friends!" Ruby answered the question a little too quickly. "What would give me that idea? You have to ask? You have it all over your blushing face! It's so obvious it's a wonder he hasn't noticed the bones you've been throwing him before! And you've obviously been throwing them for a while now because I'm not the only one who's noticed this if you catch my drift." Heather explained with a knowing smile. "Prove it!" Ruby challenged Heather raised an eyebrow then turned to Misery and she grabbed her arm and pulled her back to the blushing Ruby. "Misery, to the best of your knowledge, do you think Ruby loves Skullboy?" Heather asked "yeah isn't it obvious?" Misery answered and Ruby gasped and Heather looked at her with a mild sense of victory. "I guess your secret's not so secret Miss Gloom!" Heather said "that's supposed to be secret?…oops" Misery added.

"Alright fine! I like him! But the point is that HE doesn't find out about it! As long as that never happens I'm in the clear!" Ruby said in a sudden tone of authority. "Why do you want to keep this a secret from him? He might like you that way back but you'll never find that out if you don't tell him!" Heather insisted "What if he doesn't? What if when I tell him he'll feel really awkward and won't want to be my friend anymore? What if he does like me but then we have one of those awful break ups that make it awkward for everyone? I'd rather not take that sort of chance" Ruby said with a thoughtful frown.

"Wow Ruby! For the happiest girl on earth you sure are a pessimist!" Misery replied and Heather giggled silently. "What was that saying you always say when one of us get pessimistic?…Oh yes! Look on the bright side!" Misery added and Ruby smiled halfway and asked in reply "what if the bright side is a just barely enough light side?" "that's okay too! The barely enough light side is that you let the pain in your heart and butterflies in your stomach go away and disappear forever when you tell him the truth about how you feel!" Misery smiled meekly. Ruby wrapped one arm around Misery's shoulders and hugged her "Thanks Misery!" she said in a grateful tone "so does that mean you're going to tell him?" Heather asked and Misery smiled hopefully. "I-I can't! I'm too nervous!" Ruby answered and Heather and Misery sighed "Well….you don't HAVE to tell him! I'm sorry for trying to push you to do so. It was mean and incredibly rude of me!" Heather apologized "Yeah, I mean who needs pushes like that? I'm sorry too Ruby" Misery added.

"No, guys, it's okay. I've been wanting to tell him believe me I have! But I always get choked up or interrupted. I'm probably not going to be able to tell him unless something potentially tragic happens." Ruby said as they walked down the hallway past some rooms until there was an empty doorframe covered in skulls and spines and other bones. "Whoa! Cryptic much?" Heather asked rhetorically as they approached the door frame. "Isn't it cool? Skullboy really has a thing for art!" Ruby commented "Skullboy made this?" Heather asked in awe "isn't it convincing? It actually looks like a bone covered frame!" Misery added "you mean…its not?" Heather asked "of course not! He painted this!" Ruby answered and Heather whistled, impressed at the artistry.

Through the door frame were more stairs and Heather could see the others walking around and helping Skullboy gather his things. The three girls walked up the stairs to Skullboy's room. Once they made it to the room floor Heather gasped at what she saw. Covering the walls was a huge collection of books that stretched to the ceiling which was decorated with sketches of all kinds! There was a huge telescope resting on a rafter type platform attached to a huge window that was in the shape of a skull and just below the rafter platform was a very high stool and animators desk with piles of paper. There were different costumes lying about and there were scrolls and a video camera and a megaphone and a portable animation theater and projector that didn't run on electricity! There were maps and diagrams of air planes and several inventions and contraptions that made Heather ask "what's that! What does it do?" several times as she tried to take it all in!

The boy was brilliant! How was it that he wasn't already rich beyond anyone's wildest dreams? Heather marveled at all of the inventions and sketches and paintings and sculptures and the vast library. She finally found Skullboy sorting through his paintings and she slowly said "Skullboy….this is what you've been doing all these years? All of this…it's amazing!" Skullboy looked at Heather then all around his room then shrugged "This? It's not much…" he said, sounding bored. "Not much? Are you crazy? This is…This is…This is AWESOME!" Heather gasped "you really think so? I've done all this to find who I'm supposed to be….where I came from…but I wasn't even close! Now all of my inventions and sketches feel like a waste of time!" Skullboy said with a sigh and he almost tossed one painting in the trash can that was almost over flowing with pieces of metal and paints and sketches but Heather ran and caught it in mid air.

Heather looked at the picture and smiled, it was a painting of a white silhouette of Ruby on canvas that seemed to be covered in food condiments, it smelled like it too! Heather sighed and set it aside and looked at what he was trying to throw away and saw a lot of cartoon pictures and sketches but she paused at what seemed to be blueprints of inventions and she picked one out a part from the rest and studied it for a bit. "Skullboy? Is this a blueprint for a time machine?" Heather asked, holding up the blue print, "Oh yeah…That was a tragedy if there ever was one!" Skullboy answered with a laugh. "Why?" Heather asked curiously.

"I almost created a horrible tear in the time space continuum because of that thing! Plus it didn't work the way I wanted it too! I wanted to be transported to MY past hoping that some deep dark memory hiding in my brain would be reached so that I could meet my ancestors. But all the thing did was transport me back to Misery's family's past! That's what I get for watching Misery's family slideshow! Then Poe wanted to pilot the machine so we could meet HIS ancestor Paco. But Paco stowed away in the machine when we headed back to this time and that nearly caused a horrible rip in the time space continuum and could have made Poe disappeared." Skullboy explained with a frown. "It was operated on brainwaves! Holy crap dude! I knew you had brains but oh my god! I never thought you'd have THIS kind of potential! Wow! I mean-I mean you're 15 years old and already you've accomplished SO MUCH!" Heather replied in awe. "Thanks…I guess. I mean I like to learn…how else would I look for my family history? But I'm not all that great. Really." Skullboy said with a shrug. "Are you kidding? You're the smartest guy I've ever met! And you're so talented! Music, art, magic, science, math, psychology!" Ruby added with a bright smile. Skullboy looked at Ruby and smiled "thanks Ruby" he replied.

The air suddenly got awkward and tense as both Skullboy and Ruby looked as if they wanted to admit to something that had been in their hearts but wouldn't know how to do it gently. Heather sighed and began to gather pieces of paper and scrolls and books and such to pack, if he was so smart why hadn't he noticed Ruby's signs and why was he so shy in revealing how he feels? Why must he be so much like his father? Heather pondered these questions as she helped Misery and Frank and Len disassemble Skullboy's telescope carefully and pack it.

With everyone working diligently and packing efficiently they were done with Skullboy's room in less than half of the time they thought it was going to take. The last suitcase zipped shut and the crowd cheered meekly then started to walk out but Heather called them all back "wait guys! What are you going to do?" she asked and the others looked around and sighed.

"How about we walk with Skullboy to his new home and help him get settled in" Iris suggested finally and the others nodded slowly. They all looked so sad, It was pitiful! Heather felt as though she was going to cry! "You're REALLY going to miss him aren't ya?" Heather asked and everyone else nodded. Heather walked up to Skullboy and asked "do you REALLY want to go back home? I can run to town and tell them you want more time to think about it. They'd be upset but they love you enough to know you need some time to think about things. Honestly I don't know why they gave you only 12 hours to get ready for something as life changing as this!" Skullboy didn't say anything. Instead, he slowly got to his feet then walked to his bed and collapsed. The rest took that as their cue to walk out of his room to give him some alone time. Heather was the last one out of the room and she sighed and looked up at the now dark stairway.

The kids began to scatter to their own rooms except for Ruby, who waved towards Heather and yawned "come on! You can sleep in one of the guest rooms" she sighed. The walk to the guest rooms was stiff and awkward with silence. Heather felt heavy all over! Her neck was sore from supporting her filled head and her heart felt like it could rip through her whole body and act as an anchor for the house! And her feet felt like she wore cement shoes. Her head was swirling with so many thoughts and emotions and other things and she honestly felt dizzy! So much so that she needed to grip Ruby's shoulder for support then apologized for doing so. Ruby's mouth moved in the form of words but Heather's hearing was fuzzy and practically non-existent! Thankfully they made it to a very large room with a queen-sized bed with a black and sky blue bedspread and matching pillows and such. Heather barely made it to the bed before she collapsed too!


	6. Chapter 6

All was dark! Heather couldn't see her hand in front of her face! Suddenly there was a great pain that shot violently all the way through her neck and she screamed out loud! Her scream of agony was multiplied ten fold and suddenly there were thousands of painful sorrowful screams! Then all at once the screams stopped! And it wasn't all that dark anymore but then there was bright flashes of metal sparks and the shiny silver gleaming in some non-existent light.

Bright red blood began to spill out of Heather's neck and she coughed and sputtered trying to make another sound but all she seemed to be able to cough up was her own blood which stained the ground. Then the blood dried up and Heather was able to speak but she could not form words as a thick layer of fog covered the ground and there in the fog appeared a sinister threatening looking creature with a long wistful black cloak and a large hourglass strapped to the waist.

The large hood covered the creatures face but Heather saw that the hands were skeletal as the silent thing pulled out a long cryptic looking scroll and pointed to Heather and said in a airy yet gravely voice that sounded both technical and threatening "Your time has come!" and that was the end of it's speech. Heather simply whimpered and screamed as the creature swallowed the light, and Heather, in it's cloak!


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning everyone got up bright and early and ate breakfast then gathered Skullboy's things preparing to head out to his new home. Everyone was more chipper and happy this morning as they engaged in conversation that mostly consisted of excited questions and comments like "are you going to write to us?" and "aren't you excited! You have a family now!" and "wow! I can't believe you're going to be in charge of Halloween!" They were all now okay with Skullboy leaving. Why had they all suddenly changed their attitudes? Heather wondered this as she looked around at all f the kids eating cereal and pancakes and such. Even Skullboy looked happier than last night! "So…Have you guys slept well? You seem ten times happier than last night" she asked everyone who looked at each other then shrugged "it wasn't right for us to be upset that Skullboy finally found everything he was looking for!" Frank replied and they all apologized to Skullboy who smiled and shrugged "guys I'm okay! To be honest I'm glad you guys were upset! It made me feel like you'd miss me a whole lot. I'm going to miss you guys too!" he said then the conversation faltered out into silence. They all ate breakfast and when they were done they cleared the table then left the kitchen one by one to prepare for the trip some more.

Once Heather was sure everyone was ready, the main doorbell rang, she decided to let them all have a moment alone with friends and she went to answer the door. There stood a sinister threatening looking creature with a long wistful black cloak and a large hourglass strapped to the waist. The large hood covered the creatures face but Heather saw that the hands were skeletal as the silent thing pulled out a long cryptic looking scroll. It was just like Heather's dream! But Heather wasn't scared like in her dream. Instead she frowned angrily and snapped at the creature "No one died here Grim! Get your bony butt outta my face before I move you myself! In pieces!" the cloaked figure looked up revealing his skinless skull and he looked at her with his soulless eye sockets. "Oh….its you! Did Jack finally fire you for your incompetence or are you just hiding from him?" he asked smugly.

"No actually" Heather sneered "I'm here to collect his eldest son!" she added with a smirk "What's Joseph doing here? He's never even been to earth before!" Grim asked and Heather snorted "shows what you know! Joseph has been coming with his parents to earth since the boy turned 6! I'm here for Jack the 2nd! You never should have lied so obviously Grim!" "what do you mean lie? I told you and Jack and Sally the truth! The boy died!" Grim said in disbelief "without a body?" Heather asked angrily. "Have you forgotten how I do my job? I take the soul after the body dies! I leave the body where it dies for the grieving family to handle!" Grim replied "Yes but Jack jr. wasn't like other little boys! He was created without skin or organs! It's impossible for him to die because his body can't shut down!" Heather pushed on hotly. "Well if that's true then why didn't Jack or Sally think of that and question me about it right then and there?" "they were distraught! They trusted you because if anyone died from any cause you would know even before the deceased would! But I never trusted you! I still don't!" Heather answered fiercely. "Well, my apologies, but I'm having a hard time believing that you actually found the boy!" Grim said with a sneer. Heather glared at him then took a deep breath and called out "SKULLBOY! COME HERE FOR A SEC!" then Skullboy jogged into the room to a smug looking Heather and a sinister skeleton in a cloak. "Hey! Skullboy, I want you to meet your uncle" Heather said with a glance to an unconvinced Grim. Skullboy smiled and held out his hand for a handshake and Grim took it politely then immediately regretted it as Skullboy squeezed it very tightly and shook so hard his arm nearly popped off! "Nice to meet you! Wow! I actually have an uncle! Do you wanna meet my friends?" Skullboy said ecstatically as he let go of Grim's hand. Heather laughed silently and said "don't mind the boy's strength he's just really excited!"

Grim stared at her with loathing then smiled to Skullboy and said "I'm here to collect someone actually and I really need to set my death quota today so I'm really pushed for time" he said "but no ones dead yet. At least not yet anyway" Skullboy replied. "Technically he died about 13 years ago and his spirit has been hiding from me ever since" the Reaper explained. "Way to keep a tight schedule there bone head!" Heather smirked and Grim glared at her "wipe that damn smirk off of your face or I tell the boy what you really are!" he threatened.

Heather's eyes grew wide and she frowned "you wouldn't dare?" she challenged "I already know she's a shape shifter" Skullboy added "and did she let you in on how she got that power? Its not exactly something you're born with" Grim remarked

"I just assumed it was from some weird science-fiction type chemical cocktail from the labs" Skullboy shrugged. "Oh no! Not at all!" Grim replied "well then how?" Skullboy asked openly


	8. Chapter 8

"So Grim! Who is this spirit you're looking for?" Heather asked loudly but the two skeletons ignored her "Well about t-" Grim began but stopped when he noticed Heather trying to run out of the room and he slammed his scythe on the floor and Heather stopped dead in her tracks and was dragged by some invisible force back to her original position. She struggled and squirmed in place then hissed at Grim "you idiot! Let me go!" but Grim twisted the scythe in his bony hand and Heather collapsed to the ground with a painful shriek. Skullboy looked confused but curious "well that's not in any of the stories!" he commented as Heather writhed in pain.

"Please! Just go ahead and tell him! Put me out of my misery!" Heather hissed at Grim who smiled smugly and shrugged "okay" he said simply and he straightened up and continued "As I was saying, about 250 years ago I was sent to collect a beheaded spirit that died on her 18th birthday. Her soul's fate was undecided which happens rarely so I was to keep her in purgatory until her guardian angel came to take her to her fate." Grim explained then he grabbed Heather by the hair with one hand and wrapped his other hand around his scythe to which he lifted and brought close to Heather's neck blade first. The closer the blade got to Heather's neck, the more she screamed in unbelievable pain until finally the tip of the blade touched her neck. Heather's screams choked back in her throat and she coughed and sputtered and looked scared to death then suddenly the point of her neck that was touched by the blade of the scythe cut deep into her throat and spread to look like a slice all across her neck. Then the deep cut filled with so much blood it came out her mouth and the blood flowed and sprayed everywhere! Skullboy was now utterly terrified as he covered his face with his hands to protect it from the violent spray of blood. He uncovered his face just in time to see Heather's head slide off her neck and roll to his feet. Her blank eyes frozen in fear stared up at him and Grim began to snicker then it turned into laughter then melted into a hideously insane cackle!

Skullboy was speechless as he looked from Heather's head, to her headless body that now lay slumped in a pool of blood on the floor, to all of the blood that covered the room, to the cackling Grim Reaper. "Okay! Grim! You've had your fun! Now fix me!" demanded Heather's head then she looked up at a terrified Skullboy and added gently "hey! Skullboy don't worry! I'm fine! Now could you do me a favor and pick my head back up? Please?" Skullboy bent down and lifted her head even though he looked to frightened to move. "Does anyone want to explain what just happened?" he asked finally looking at Heather's head and Grim who now calmed down but was still giggling. "Not particularly, no" Heather replied with a frown but Grim ignored both of them and tried to compose himself "but if Chuckles over there won't explain, I guess I have to" Heather added with a sigh. "But first, do you happen to have a sewing kit?" she asked and Skullboy shook his head and said "I-uh-think Ruby has a kit though" "Oh good! Can you get it? I'd get it myself but-well I'm a bit…broken at the moment" Heather said with a wide smile and she laughed at her own joke.

Skullboy shook the cold shiver he got that ran down his spine and went to the kitchen. Heather closed her eyes and pretended to be dead when Skullboy entered the room and all his friends looked at him with a sense of fear and worry and they looked at the head of Heather but said nothing for awhile. Finally Skullboy was the one who broke the silence "hey, Ruby? Don't you have a sewing kit somewhere?" he asked "uh-yeah….why?" Ruby asked. "It's for Heather" he replied, looking down at Heather's head as she still pretended to be dead. "Heather? Heather? Oh my gosh! I think she's dead! She was fine just a minute ago!" Skullboy said in a scared tone and no one said anything. They all looked scared and worried! Heather counted to ten in her mind the her eyes shot open much to the surprise of the others and she shouted as loud as she could "BOO!" and scared all of the others! Heather looked around to all the terrified faces and smiled widely and said "if I had lungs, I'd be laughing so hard right now! I'm sorry guys I couldn't help myself!" then she sighed and looked at Ruby. "So, Ruby. Where's that sewing kit? I'd like to be reconnected to my body. Oh and is there any ghost here? Possibly one who's been here for 13 years?" she asked.

"Well….there is Boo Boo but he's only been here for a couple of years" Ruby replied then asked "why?" "Skullboy's uncle is here" Heather replied and they all smiled happily then each smile faded slightly "you mean…?" they asked "yes!" Heather and Skullboy replied in unison. "So if you don't mind getting a needle and thread and help me reattach my head to my body I'll be happy to explain all that I can" Heather said with a kind smile. And with that Ruby ran to up the stairs from the kitchen, completely bypassing the main room too Skullboy's warning. The rest of the group didn't speak but were very curious about Heather's decapitated head and how it could still move and hold expressions and talk. Heather was beginning to feel embarrassed and awkward but thankfully Ruby returned shortly after with a silver needle and a spool of black thread. "Thank you Ruby now if you could just follow Skullboy back to my body I'll tell you what to do okay?" Heather suggested and Skullboy walked out of the kitchen and into the main room closely followed by the others.

Grim had finally composed himself and was rummaging through Heather's body obviously searching for something. "Hey! Bonehead! Get away from my body! If I told you once I've told you about a thousand times! You. Can't. have. My. Soul!" Heather screeched at the Reaper who frowned "stupid freedom Claus!" he grumbled as they all gathered around Heather's body. "What's with all the blood? It's everywhere!" someone noted finally. It was Iris who made that note as all of the others stared at all of the blood and gore in terror. "It happens when you're beheaded" Heather replied. "Okay now I need someone to hold my body steady" heather said and Misery came and picked up Heather's body by the shoulders and held it still. "Good! Now Skullboy, set my head back on my neck and hold it right and still" Heather said and Skullboy went over and placed Heather's head on the neck and held still. "Awesome! Now Ruby, I assume since you're the one with the sewing kit that you know how to work a needle and thread properly yes?" heather asked and Ruby nodded "okay! So thread the needle and while Misery and Skullboy are holding me together I want you to sew my head back on if you please." Heather said with a warm smile and Ruby began threading the needle then Heather gasped "wait! Is my head backwards?" she asked worriedly and when the others shook their heads she sighed "okay awesome" she said reassuringly. Ruby began to sew Heather's head to the neck and she moved smoothly and swiftly and before Heather could say 'thank you' Ruby was done.

Once Ruby finished, Misery and Skullboy let go of her shoulders and head. Heather smiled and tried to turn her head but her body reacted to the brainwaves as though it had fell asleep and she couldn't hold her balance and she fell face first in the pool of blood she had made. Misery quickly returned to holding her shoulders to keep her up. "Sorry" heather gasped as she seemed to be struggling very hard. "Can you explain what the heck just happened?" Skullboy asked and the others nodded. "Okay!" Heather agreed with an exasperated sigh.


	9. Chapter 9

"On April, 16th, 1761 I was celebrating my 18th birthday with fireworks and cake and games etc. etc. Anyway! I've always been interested in ghastly stories and scary horrible stories which was considered a very un ladylike thing to be interested in so I wasn't exactly the most popular girl at my hometown. Someone let slip that I enjoy those sort of things and it spread to some people who felt threatened by me and my family so they decided to crash my party with a 'surprise' for me. It was a homemade guillotine. I was so excited and I felt like I was truly understood! I stupidly asked if it worked and the one who made it, I forget names forgive me, said 'why don't you and your family see for yourselves?' and so they forced my parents under the guillotine first but they confessed their sins right there and forgave the awful horrible people who were doing this just as they lifted the blade and released the rope!

First it was my father…then my mother was shoved under the blade! I fought and fought them but they held me there. They turned my head upright so that I could see the blade fall and end my life. I didn't confess anything though because I was beginning to think that God doesn't exist and such so I foolishly laid there and watched them drop the blade for a split second I can feel the thin sharp metal cut through my neck I remember lots and lots of blood afterwards then….nothing!".

"I never saw my parents again but then Grim showed up and took me to Purgatory. I stayed there trying to figure out where my fate would be and I noticed that Grim would have trouble with his job trying to gather the reluctant souls that were either too scared or too stupid to understand that they were dead. So I decided that I might as well do something progressive for the remainder of my afterlife so I offered to help him gather the souls that were reluctant to follow him. Grim was getting WAY too popular for his own good so it seemed like the smart thing to get another not familiar face to gather the souls. And for a good 50 years I did it efficiently but then I was getting noticed so Grim decided to give me a powerful elixir from a Salem witch that tried to bribe her way out of hell.

The elixir allowed me to shape shift into anybody and anything I can think of but only if I've seen it first hand already. It was great…until people began to get so scared of death they would cheat it. Grim always was a sore loser and when the people would cheat out death, he would send me to possess a body so the living could see me. I was to possess a living person and get the people to trust in me….then kill them and gather their souls. Obviously Grim couldn't roam the land of the living and do it himself! He looked much to threatening but no one would expect a sweet girl to be death's little errand runner!".

"However this bothered me because unfortunately my conscious didn't die with my body so I had a lot of conflicting ethical views and Grim and I would argue an awful lot and I was young and foolish and impulsive so after one argument in particular I pretended to run out and get a late night soul but I just kept going and going and going until I found Halloweentown and I…just stuck there. I found Jack and Sally and Dr. Finklestien. And of course I met the two lovebirds before they even realized they were lovebirds. Grim found out shortly after but because of a special contract that we both signed, he couldn't touch me because I had moved to a dimension where death didn't exist as an end. And until I lost my home in Halloweentown he has to stay away from my mind, body, and soul. But once I lose my job and home in Halloweentown I have to go with Grim back to Purgatory"

"Not anymore!" Grim cut in "What do you mean?" Heather asked "Your guardian angel died 10 years ago and now he's waiting to escort you to your fate" Grim explained flatly "What is my fate?" Heather asked "You know I can't reveal that….unless you are prepared to leave this world forever".


	10. Chapter 10

Heather gasped at the offer then frowned thoughtfully and did not speak for a while. The air in the room was very tense and no one said anything as they anticipated Heather's answer. She finally sighed then said "Give me until the end of the week" Grim smiled and offered his skeletal hand in a handshake and Heather, finally reconnecting her mind to the rest of her body, grabbed it and the shook. As they shook, a snakelike chain slithered out from Grim's cloak and wrapped itself around the two's wrists until it could wrap around itself and the chain locked tightly around their wrists and then glowed a rain-blue for a full minute then faded and the chain unlocked and slithered back into the Reaper's cloak. They released each other and Grim smiled "at the end of the week, your soul shall be mine once again!" he laughed. And with that, he looked all around the room and said "he's not here!" then wrapped his cloak all around himself and disappeared in a puff of thick black smoke.

"What….was that all about? What was up with that handshake!" Frank asked and Len added "yeah and what did the dude mean? 'He's not here' who was he talkin' about?" then Ruby asked "why did you agree to something like that?" and then everyone started talking all at once asking questions and talking over one another. It was chaotic trying to listen to all of them at once and Heather had enough chaos and emotions for one lifetime! "Guys! GUYS! I'm 268 years old! I think its time to leave this earth! Okay? I'll try to explain everything before the week is up but that means if you guys want the explanations and to say your goodbyes then you'll have to stay in Halloweentown for at least a week! I don't really know why you're concerned about ME because I only met you last night." Heather said.

"You're really nice and you seem to know a few things about Skullboy's past and you're the closest connection to his early childhood that we've seen! Skullboy wasn't the only one wondering where he came from. We've all wondered that at least once while knowing him." Iris explained and the rest nodded and Misery added "There are still so many questions to be answered and to just think that we only have a week to have them answered it's very….distressing".

The rest of the morning consisted of getting Skullboy's things out of the house and walking towards the forest and all the while everyone still talked about what they have been talking about. Goodbyes, questions, and excitement. They finally made it to the center of the forest where there was a circular space surrounded by trees. Heather stopped and studied each tree and counted from the furthest left of her and stopped at the tenth tree and walked up to it and knocked on it, it sounded oddly hollow to her and she smiled and lead the others to the tree.

"Now you've probably wondered where holidays like Halloween comes from, if you haven't, I'd say it's time you've begun!" Heather said openly with a wide smile as the tree opened before they're eyes. At first, all was dark and it just looked like a hollow tree but much to the kids' surprise, Heather took the luggage and tossed it into the tree and they didn't see or hear it land. Then Heather looked to them and asked "who want's to go first?" "Ooh! Oh! Me! Pick me! I wanna do it!" Iris jumped excitedly and she dove down into the tree and screamed in delight all the way down. "I'll go next" Skullboy said and he jumped down the hole too. "Geronimo!" he yelled as he fell into the darkness. "That looks like fun!" Ruby said cheerfully and she jumped too. "Ready to jump Len?" Frank asked his brother "Ready Frank" Len replied and they ran and jumped down into the tree as well. "Wait for me guys!" Misery called down and she climbed into the hole in the tree and fell instantly. Heather shook her head and laughed and made sure to shut the portal as she climbed in the hole and fell in as well.

The fall was dark and ominous and it felt as though Heather was spinning faster and faster as the darkness swallowed her until _THWUMP! _she hit the ground hard, not thinking to land properly. She got to her feet, a bit dazed from the fall, but otherwise okay. As she looked around in the town square she saw Ruby and the others scatter to put Skullboy back together. Heather sprung in to help as much as she could and soon he was all put together again. "Thanks guys!" Skullboy said gratefully as he got to his feet and brushed the dirt off his clothes. "Everyone alright?" Heather asked the others nodded and agreed in murmurs.

"Sorry about that! It's been awhile since I used the forest portal and I sorta forgot how far down it really was." Heather sighed apologetically and she looked around the square to find that it had been deserted of townsfolk. In fact, Heather, Skullboy and the rest of the kids the town seemed completely deserted! Everything seemed too quiet for Heather's comfort.

"What's up?" Frank asked "Yeah it's like….totally empty!" Len added "I'm not sure but I suggest not figuring out until we find Jack" Ruby suggested "Exactly what I was thinking Ruby! Let's go!" Heather replied and they all walked through the rusty old rickety gate but didn't go much further before being stopped by three children in costumes; a witch, a skeleton, and a devil.


	11. Chapter 11

They all giggled mischievously and tugged at Heather's arm "what do you little punks want?" Heather asked icily, not wanting to deal with their mischief. The children gasped sarcastically and pretended to be taken aback but still giggled. "You shouldn't be so rude Ms. Reims! Jack wouldn't like it!" the skeleton scolded "Shut it Barrel!" Heather snapped "What if he doesn't?" the devil jumped in "You know what Lock I-" "How old are you guys huh? Huh? HUH?" Iris interrupted excitedly "Who are you!" the witch asked suspiciously. "I got a better question! What do you little twerps want?" Heather sneered.

"Heather why are so rude to the children?" Skullboy asked "Yeah Heather!" jeered the three strange children. "These kids are horrendous and unbearable! And if I'm not mistaken recently out of work evil henchmen for the boogie man!" "So what if we were working for Mr. Oogie Boogie?" asked the devil "It shows you can't be trusted! Disgusting worms!" Heather snapped then she took a deep breath and tried being civil "Iris, Misery, Frank, Len, Ruby, Skullboy, I'd like you to meet Halloween's finest trick-or-treaters! Lock, Shock, and Barrel" She introduced through her teeth.

They all shook hands and began having small talk when Heather sighed in frustration finally and asked "What are you three up to?" "Looking for you" replied Shock snidely "Yeah! You're late!" sneered Barrel. "You wouldn't know the very definition of punctuality if it bit you where the candy's not served! Who are you to scold me for tardiness?" Heather snapped back "Just three little humble helpers to the pumpkin king!" "What?" "You heard us! We were sent by Jack to make sure you don't screw up! And you're late!" Lock explained rudely.

"We ran into some trouble on the way here!" Heather said, referring to the fresh stitches around her neck "Now if you'll excuse me" she continued "We have some important business to attend to" "whoa whoa! Wait a minute! What kind of trouble?" Lock asked curiously "Grim" Heather answered flatly as she tried to push through the wall of curiosity. "Grim! I just knew he'd be the problem! You know we never had an issue with him till you showed up and started being rude to him!" Shock replied in surprise and annoyance. "Me! I only stood my ground to that bonehead! If ANYONE is up to blame its HIM!" Heather defended quickly. "Fine! Go ahead! They're at Jack's old tower" Barrel replied with malice "the tower? Why?" Heather "how should we know?" asked Shock "yeah! We're just-" Barrel began "dumb kids" Lock finished and, with that, the three trick-or-treaters ran off. "I hate those damn kids!" Heather said, seething.

They all began to talk about other things like family and favorite things as Heather led the way to Jack's tower. The conversation change seemed like it was just there to avoid the subject of hatred and anger and Heather was thankful for that! The talking made the time it took to get to the tower from the town square seem to fly by and by the time they got to their destination it was close to noon. Jack was indeed upset at Heather's tardiness but soon changed his mood once he heard what had happened and saw the fresh stitches in her neck. Sally was just overjoyed to see that her eldest son made it home safely and when she saw Heather's neck she agreed to help her heal faster with a special cream she had invented herself while Skullboy got reacquainted with his roots after nearly 15 years of absence and his friends stayed with him the whole time. Skullboy contained his excitement of finally knowing his family quite well and all that happened was introductions to his siblings, who had been as overjoyed as the parents that their big brother had come home finally, if not a little confused.

The rest of the day Ruby seemed as though she wanted to tell Skullboy something but never got the chance to tell him privately because everyone else was too busy saying their final thoughts and working on their goodbyes or helping him understand the mechanics behind running a international holiday. But her attempts were not gone un noticed! In fact, the whole week was like that! She'd try and try and try but each time got interrupted or just scared and would immediately change the subject or just run off. Each time she did; Heather noticed, and so did Sally, so they would attempt to help her get some private time with Skullboy before the week was up.

Skullboy was a very fast learner and he eagerly took notes on the mechanics of Halloween and when ever he missed a step in anything he would repeat it until it was perfect! He felt obligated to get the steps and ways down pact in time for next Halloween. He picked up quick and Monday soon turned to Tuesday and Tuesday to Thursday and then it was Sunday. Skullboy still had a lot to learn but this day was to be dedicated to his friends and saying final goodbyes. He wanted to know what was up with Ruby the entire week and somewhere in his mind, he had hoped that she wanted to tell him what he wanted to tell her since they met years ago. Sally was going to escort his friends back to Gloomsville once the sun had set.

The Sunday morning was bleak and foggy but very cheerful in feeling everyone had gotten up extra early for a day out on the town doing all the things they wanted to do together before the sun set and they all would say goodbye possibly forever. The day's events were filled with happy busy running about as they went to various stores, swimming, visited the graveyard, pumpkin patch and various other places. Soon it was noon and they all stopped by the lake to have a light packed lunch of sandwiches, juice, and small cakes. They shared stories and memories and watched the sun begin to set as their final hours of being together faltered out to an end. They walked back as the sun set some more and Iris, Frank, Len, and Misery all said their sad goodbyes to their beloved friend Skullboy "I can't believe this is actually goodbye! I'll write to you every day! You had best write back Skullboy!" Iris said, pretending to sound like she was giving orders or something Skullboy noted her mock authority and laughed airily and said "I'll try to remember" with a hint of sarcasm.

Frank sighed but smiled and coughed "so….uh….I guess this is goodbye. I'm gonna miss ya Skullboy. We wrote you a goodbye song! I think it's our best one yet!" and Len grabbed their steel guitar which base was a black skull with the letters RIP engraved in the bottom and barbed wire for strings. They played what sounded like a smooth rock ballad but only hummed a bit after a short pause, while everyone clapped, they shrugged and Len said "it's not really finished just yet" Skullboy smiled greatly and gave the brothers high fives and thanked them for the awesome music.

Misery didn't say anything but "I'll miss you Skullboy!" then wept something incoherently and hugged him tight "Its alright Misery! I'll-uh-I'll miss you too" Skullboy said trying to calm the weeping girl and hold back his tears as well. Misery calmed down a little and looked around at all their friends that were there and noticed that one was missing! "Hey! Where's Ruby?" she asked and everyone began looking around for Ruby.

Ruby could no longer handle the unbelievable sadness of leaving a dear friend behind and so she had run off to the cemetery and wept alone on the top of a grand hill that seemed to curl up at the end. The sun was setting lower and lower until only a thin ray of sunlight glowed over the horizon


End file.
